Raja Ampat Islands in the context of "Cleaner shrimp"

Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region is also called West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat). It is one of the seven geographical units of Indonesia in ISO 3166-2:ID.

Lying to the west of Papua New Guinea and geographically a part of the Australian continent, the territory is almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere and includes the Biak and Raja Ampat archipelagoes. The region is predominantly covered with rainforest where traditional peoples live, including the Dani of the Baliem Valley. A large proportion of the population live in or near coastal areas. The largest city is Jayapura.

Southwest Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat Daya; Indonesian pronunciation: [papʊa barat daja]) is the 38th province of Indonesia to be created and was split off from West Papua on 8 December 2022. Despite being named "southwest", this is actually a misnomer and this province is actually located in the northwest edge of Papua. The province comprises the Greater Sorong area (Indonesian: Sorong Raya; Indonesian pronunciation: [ˌsɔrɔŋ ˈraja]) which consists of Sorong City, Sorong Regency, South Sorong Regency, Maybrat Regency, Tambrauw Regency, and Raja Ampat Regency. The Bill (RUU) on the Establishment of the Southwest Papua Province was passed into law (by Act No. 29 of 2022), and therefore, it became the 38th province in Indonesia with effect from 8 December 2022.

Southwest Papua is situated on the northwestern side of the region known as the Doberai Peninsula, or the Bird's Head Peninsula. The province's westernmost point encompasses the protected region of the Raja Ampat Islands, which boasts a rich variety of marine creatures, including coral reefs, leatherback sea turtles, manta rays, and whale sharks. The province of Southwest Papua is centered around its capital, Sorong, which serves as an important hub for the region's oil and gas industry and a gateway to Papua. With modern port and airport facilities, Sorong is one of the most developed cities in Papua. The province of Southwest Papua is home to various preserved ecosystems, including tropical rainforests and mountains. Tambrauw Regency, in particular, is a popular birdwatching destination and has declared its area as Conservation Regency in order to promote ecotourism.

Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the Indonesian economy as well as a significant source of its foreign exchange revenues. Indonesia was ranked at 20th in the world tourist industry in 2017, also ranked as the ninth-fastest growing tourist sector in the world, the third-fastest growing in Asia and fastest-growing in Southeast Asia. In 2018, Denpasar, Jakarta and Batam are among of 10 cities in the world with fastest growth in tourism, 32.7, 29.2 and 23.3 percent respectively. The tourism sector ranked as the 4th largest among goods and services export sectors.

In 2019, Indonesia recorded 16.10 million foreign tourist arrivals, seeing a 1.9% per cent increase than that of 2018. In 2015, 9.73 million international visitors entered Indonesia, staying in hotels for an average of 7.5 nights and spending an average of US$1,142 per person during their visit, or US$152.22 per person per day. Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, and Japan are the top five sources of visitors to Indonesia.

Misool (Indonesian: Pulau Misool; Matbat: Batan Mee; Dutch: Misool-eiland), formerly spelled Mysol or Misol, is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Its area is 2,034 km. The highest point is 561 m and the main towns are Waigama, located on the island's northwest coast, and Lilinta on the island's southeast coast.

The inhabitants speak the Ma'ya, Biga, and Matbat languages, as well as Indonesian and a variety of the Malay-based creole, namely Papuan Malay.

Salawati (Indonesian pronunciation: [salaˈwat̪i]) is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua (formerly West Papua), Indonesia. Its area is 1,902.1 km (including smaller offshore islands). Salawati is separated from New Guinea to the southeast by the Sele Strait (a.k.a. Galowa Strait, Revenges Strait), and from Batanta to the north by the Pitt Strait (a.k.a. Sagewin Strait).

Batanta is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua province, Indonesia. Its area is 479.52 km (including smaller offshore islands) and its highest point is 1184 m. The Pitt Strait separates it from Salawati Island, while the Dampier Strait separates it from Waigeo Island. The population was estimated at 4,001 as at mid 2024.

Dampier Strait is named after the English explorer William Dampier. In 1759 Captain William Wilson sailing in the East Indiaman Pitt navigated these waters and named the channel between Batanta and Salawati as Pitt Strait, after his vessel.

Waigeo is an island in the Southwest Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 kilometres (40 miles) to the northwest coast of New Guinea. The Dampier Strait (a.k.a. Augusta's Strait) separates it from Batanta, and the Bougainville Strait from the Kawe Islands to its northwest. The "inner sea" that nearly cleaves the island in two is Mayalibit Bay, also known as the Majoli Gulf.

The area of the island is 3,155 square kilometres (1,218 square miles); the highest elevations are 958-metre-high (3,143-foot) Buffalo Horn (Gunung Nok) and 939-metre-high (3,081-foot) Serodjil. From west to east, the island measures approximately 110 km (68 mi), north–south about 50 kilometres (31 miles).

Kofiau is an island in the Raja Ampat Islands, in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. The island is primarily raised coral limestone with some volcanic hills, covered in low forest. The island is home to the endemic Kofiau paradise kingfisher and Kofiau monarch. A new form of the Green tree python has been found on Kofiau and Boo Island that retains its neotenic yellow coloration into adulthood.